Technological progress often has two dimensions - while it solves or ameliorates problems which existed prior to the innovation, it also creates new dilemmas for which there are no ready answers. Advances in cardio-pulmonary resuscitation and in intensive care, for example, are responsible for dramatic recovery of severely ill and injured people. On the other hand, these advances can also be held responsible for the existence of patients who are left in prolonged comas or persistent vegetative states. These patients may or may not be able to chew, swallow, and track objects visually and have no apparent cognitive capacity. The care of these patients raises ethical, financial, social, and medical issues which involve the patients' families and the physicians, nurses, and social workers who care for them. The principal investigator, who qualifies as an eligible applicant under criterion 1, proposes a pilot project to determine the prevalence of the condition of prolonged coma and persistent vegetative state. The pilot project will also provide a more detailed picture of the characteristics of the patients and the strains of their care on medical, nursing, social work, and family caregivers. The specific aims of this project are thus to provide answers to the following questions: 1) How many persistent vegetative state patients or prolonged coma patients reside in the Greater Cleveland area? and 2) What impact does the care of these patients have upon health care facility staff and family members? Data will be gathered by record review and interviews of care staff and family. A more extensive study that will examine ethical, medical, and social issues will be developed from these preliminary findings.